Community Preservation Committee

Applying to use CPA funds for your next project? The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) invites applications for CPA funding on a rolling basis. Once eligibility is approved by the Community Preservation Committee, the application process will begin. The eligibility form and application can be found below. The CPC is responsible for reviewing all applications and making recommendations to Town Meeting as to which applications should be considered for funding.

If the project set forth is a private historic restoration project, the following restriction agreement document will need to be completed by the applicant and submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for approval.

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts State Act which enables a community to create a local fund to protect its natural and cultural resources, by adding a surcharge to local real estate taxes.

In Billerica, the surcharge is 1%. Exemptions apply.

The local CPA fund receives yearly guaranteed disbursement matches from a statewide trust fund, the revenues of which are derived from a surcharge the Commonwealth places on (real estate) transaction fees at the Registry of Deeds - but only cities and towns that adopted CPA receive a disbursement match. Since CPA was signed into law in 2000, 175 communities have adopted it and benefited from it. Billerica citizens voted to adopt it on Election Day, November 8, 2016.